By: Teresa Mull
Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, says her organization is finding success across the nation.
Watts told Think Progress:
…We’re winning. People are waiting for this cathartic moment in Congress that hasn’t happened yet, but it’s so important to pay attention to the work that’s being done on the ground. We are winning in state houses and in board rooms.
What I’ve learned over the last six years is that Congress is not where this work begins, it’s where it ends, like most social issues in this country. When Sandy Hook happened, we didn’t have a political movement with any power. We do now. In just six years. Those wins on the ground will eventually point Congress and the president, whoever that [ends up being], in the right direction.
According to the Moms Demand Action website, the group “campaigns for new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. Moms Demand Action has established a chapter in every state of the country and, along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Students Demand Action and the Everytown Survivor Network, it is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with nearly 6 million supporters and more than 350,000 donors.”
Everytown for Gun Safety, as GPM has reported, is supported by rabid anti-gunner, Michael Bloomberg. The Washington Post reported during the 2018 election cycle, Everytown “is spending millions to support candidates in four states, underscoring the extent to which gun control is shaping up to be an issue in the November midterm election.”
According to Everytown.org, the organization’s focus issues include “background checks on all gun sales.” Everytown urges people to “kick out lawmakers beholden to the gun lobby” and “stop concealed carry reciprocity.”
Some of “Our Victories” Moms Demand Action reports on its website include:
Colorado Governor Jared Polis Signs Extreme Risk Protection Order legislation.
HB 2519, that would have forced public colleges and universities in West Virginia to allow guns on campuses, was defeated.
U.S. House of Representatives passes legislation requiring background checks on all gun sales.
Governor Sisolak signs legislation to require background checks on all gun sales in Nevada.
GunsAmerica.com reminds us that Everytown isn’t winning in every statehouse:
New Hampshire local media reports that one of the lobbyists for Everytown for Gun Safety, the organization that bankrolls Moms Demand Action, was arrested and charged with domestic violence-simple assault, false imprisonment, and criminal mischief.
Despite overwhelming evidence proving gun control does the opposite of increasing safety in communities, Moms Demand Action is a well-funded, determined organization gun owners must be wary of. Think Progress reports:
Watts also said she wasn’t prepared for the extent to which concern over gun violence had taken root in traditionally red states — or how quickly that concern would expand. Six years later, she’s wiser and more seasoned, more capable of handling the occasional surprise with aplomb.
Teresa Mull is editor of Gunpowder Magazine. Contact her at [email protected].